INFERRING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN IDEAS – INFORMATIONAL TEXTS

Cause and Effect

In many nonfiction texts, especially in speeches or procedural passages, ideas are often connected through cause-and-effect relationships. This means that one idea, event, or condition (the cause) leads to another result (the effect). Recognizing these connections is an important skill when reading for meaning and answering questions on the GED® test.

Example 1: Political Speech

“Fellow citizens, I come here today to plead my case. Today in our state, people do not have enough jobs. The unemployment problem will not be solved until we get our weak economy moving again. Other politicians talk about strengthening the economy, but they have no plan to make it happen. That is why I am proposing new measures that will positively affect the economy and the job outlook. They will impact your well-being directly.
Vote for me this November because I promise to do what is needed to stabilize the economy and create more jobs.”

Question:
What cause-and-effect relationship is presented in the speech?

A. between job growth and politicians
B. between a weak economy and a lack of jobs
C. between politicians and a strong economy
D. between a lack of jobs and a strong economy

Correct Answer: B
This passage presents a clear and direct cause-and-effect relationship: the weak economy is the cause, and the lack of jobs is the effect. The speaker explicitly states that unemployment won’t improve until the economy is strengthened.

Example 2: Instructional Text (French Bread Recipe)

“Baking a perfect loaf of French bread is a detailed process, but it becomes worth the effort when you taste the final result. For beginners, it’s important to follow the recipe carefully and have all ingredients and tools ready. One common mistake new bakers make is not kneading the dough enough. Kneading is essential—it activates the gluten that gives the bread its light texture. However, over-kneading can lead to dense, tough bread.”

Question:
What cause-and-effect relationship is described in this passage?

A. between kneading dough and the formation of gluten
B. between baking French bread and enjoying sandwiches
C. between following the recipe and baking perfect bread
D. between kneading bread and producing a dense texture

Correct Answer: A
The text explains that kneading the dough causes gluten to form, and gluten is what gives French bread its desired texture. This is the most direct and clearly stated cause-and-effect relationship in the passage.

Compare and Contrast

When reading nonfiction passages, you may notice that authors often use a compare-and-contrast structure. This means they explain how two or more things are alike (compare) or how they are different (contrast). Recognizing this type of relationship can help you better understand the key ideas in a passage and answer questions on the GED® test.

Example Passage:

Paragraph 1: Animals hunt in different ways. Some animals hunt with their noses. Dogs can smell food even if it’s far away. Bats hunt with their ears. Bats can catch insects in the dark.
Paragraph 2: Falcons hunt with their sharp eyes. They fly high above the earth. They can see a small movement in the grass. They zoom down and catch a little mouse.
Paragraph 3: Rattlesnakes hunt in a different way. They can tell if there is something warm near them. They go through the grass very quietly. They find a mouse. They can’t see it, but they can feel the heat from the mouse. One quick bite from the snake and the mouse becomes lunch.

Question:
What ideas are being contrasted in the passage?

A. how animals see
B. how animals hear
C. how animals hunt
D. how animals move

Correct Answer: C
The passage contrasts the different methods animals use to hunt. It shows that dogs use smell, bats use hearing, falcons use sight, and rattlesnakes detect heat. The author is clearly showing how animals hunt in different ways, which is a contrast of hunting methods.

Parallel Ideas

Parallelism is a writing technique used to present two or more ideas in the same grammatical structure. This technique makes the message clearer, more powerful, and easier to follow. It’s especially common in speeches and persuasive writing because it adds emphasis and rhythm.

For example, President John F. Kennedy used parallelism in his famous quote:

“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

This sentence uses two related ideas, expressed in the same structure, to deliver a powerful message. That repetition of form is what makes the sentence so memorable.

Here are two more examples of parallel structure:

• From philosopher Francis Bacon:

“Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.”

• From novelist Albert Camus:

“Those who write clearly have readers; those who write obscurely have commentators.”

In both cases, the ideas are presented in a balanced and repetitive way. On the GED® test, recognizing this kind of structure can help you understand an author’s purpose or emphasize key ideas.